Latest news with #excessiveforce
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Police officer sacked for hitting football fan outside Walsall FC
A police officer has been dismissed for using excessive force during the arrest of a football fan, the institution's watchdog has Richard Mannox, a West Midlands Police officer, was investigated by the watchdog over a 2023 incident outside Bescot Stadium after a Walsall FC Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had gathered evidence that showed PC Mannox pushing the fan, from Cumbria side Barrow AFC, and hitting him across the face.A misconduct hearing this month concluded that his use of force "was not reasonable" and he had now been barred from policing, the IOPC added. The incident took place after a match between Walsall and Barrow on 4 March fan, Edward Papas, was initially prosecuted over the violence but he was cleared of two counts of assault in January 2024. 'Swearing and threatening' The IOPC said its investigation began after a "football supporter alleged that he had been punched and threatened by officers, rather than it being the man who had assaulted the officers."Evidence showed PC Mannox using "a confrontational approach from the outset" and "speaking aggressively before swearing and threatening the man", the watchdog also said that footage of the incident had been widely Midlands Police said in a statement that the vast majority of its officers and staff were dedicated and hard-working."Where people fall short of the high standards expected of them, we will act to ensure they are dealt with appropriately and, where necessary, dismissed," it added. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE SAS soldiers dramatically cleared of murdering Syria jihadist in battle after two-year legal nightmare
Five SAS soldiers facing murder charges over the death of a known Islamic terrorist in Syria have had their names cleared, the Mail can reveal. After a two-year legal nightmare, the elite troops have been told they will not face a court martial. In a case that provoked fury within the regiment, the 'Blades' as SAS soldiers are known, were accused of using excessive force on the battlefield three years ago. They had pursued the jihadist at night in a rural area after watching a video of him in which he vowed to 'blow up infidels'. In the footage he was seen wearing a suicide vest, which was found near where he was shot dead in pitch darkness. For security reasons, the location and date of the operation cannot be disclosed. Given the circumstances, the troops were shocked to learn later that they were being investigated by the Royal Military Police (RMP). One told colleagues he felt like a 'tethered goat' as RMPs, top brass and lawyers used the incident as a test case. A friend said: 'It takes some believing but the guys have been staring down the barrel of murder trials for shooting a confirmed jihadist in a live battlefield situation. 'How on earth anyone could accuse them of using excessive force in that situation was beyond everyone. 'These guys were put through the wringer so the generals, the Defence Serious Crime Unit and the Service Prosecuting Authority could prove how rigorously they can pursue a prosecution. 'That's fine and dandy for them, but for the soldiers who risked their lives that night to be accused – and to wait so long for justice – that was appalling.' The RMP investigation coincided with a High Court inquiry into allegations of SAS war crimes in Afghanistan. With the judge in that inquiry expected to publish a damning report later this year, there was a rigorous investigation of the Syria case. Files were sent to prosecutors recommending murder charges against the five soldiers. The Service Prosecuting Authority – the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service – then spent 18 months reviewing the case before finally agreeing to clear the soldiers. The saga led rank and file SAS soldiers to accuse their chain of command of 'putting their careers before protecting their soldiers'. The five SAS soldiers involved were part of a cordon around a jihadist compound when the shooting took place. Suspects escaped and the five broke from the cordon and gave chase. They caught the likely suicide bombers, one of whom was seen hiding in a bush. They opened fire in the darkness because they believed the jihadist posed an immediate threat to their lives. But a search of his body confirmed he was not wearing his suicide belt, which was later found in the compound he had bolted from. Today, the Ministry of Defence said: 'Our personnel are respected worldwide and make extraordinary sacrifices in defence of the nation. It's right that we hold them to the highest standards and action is taken where anyone fails to meet them. 'Following thorough investigations and assessments, we can confirm that no charges have been brought forward in these cases.' Tory armed forces spokesman Mark Francois said: 'It is imperative we continue to recognise the outstanding contribution of our Special Forces to UK security and the incredible risks they take. This case highlighted the dangers they face and the difficult split-second decisions they are forced to make against ruthless enemies.'
CBC
10-06-2025
- CBC
Edmonton police officer denies 'gratuitous' force during arrest
Social Sharing Jurors will soon be asked to weigh the conflicting narratives presented in court about an arrest where an Edmonton police officer is accused of excessive force. Const. Alexander Doduk is charged with assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm against Justin LaFrance, a man he encountered on the morning of Nov. 26, 2019, just outside the courthouse where he's now on trial. The officer has pleaded not guilty to both charges. The jury heard closing arguments in the case on Monday, and they're expected to begin deliberations after getting final instructions on Tuesday from Court of King's Bench Justice Lisa Silver. Video of the incident played in court shows Doduk punch LaFrance, then hit him with a police baton eight times, leaving him with bruises, a chipped tooth and a broken nose. LaFrance was among the first witnesses to give evidence. He said he was pursuing a man he suspected of breaking a window at his work site in the former Downtown Farmers' Market building, and he waved to Doduk in his marked police vehicle for help — only to watch the officer suddenly take the man to the ground. According to LaFrance, while he was trying to tell Doduk that what he was doing was "excessive" and he might have the wrong guy, Doduk turned on him without warning. Doduk took the witness stand in his own defence last week with a different version of what happened, telling the jury LaFrance interfered as he was trying to finish an arrest, and then hit him. According to the officer, he had to use force to get control of LaFrance as he resisted being arrested, grabbed onto Doduk's duty belt near police-issued weapons including his gun, and held onto the right sleeve of his jacket despite commands to let go. Defence lawyer Dino Bottos asked Doduk on Thursday whether he felt that he did "anything gratuitous" to LaFrance. "No, not at all," Doduk answered. Jury hears officer's account The morning of the arrest, Doduk was on his way to a traffic court appearance as a police witness. Just after 8:30 a.m., Doduk said he was in his marked police vehicle at the intersection of 103A Avenue and 97th Street when he noticed someone screaming — he later learned it was LaFrance. "I heard, 'You broke my window, you piece of shit. I'm going to kill you,'" Doduk testified. He said he tried to ask LaFrance what happened, but LaFrance ran across traffic to approach another man across the street, near the Royal Alberta Museum. Believing the men were "imminently" going to fight, Doduk made a call on his police radio asking for more officers at the scene. As he approached the pair, Doduk said LaFrance was still yelling that the man broke a window, so he began to arrest him for mischief. WATCH | Video of arrest played in court: Video of 2019 arrest played in court at EPS officer's assault trial 7 days ago Duration 1:40 A jury watched security footage from the Royal Alberta Museum that recorded the November 2019 incident that led to EPS Const. Alexander Doduk facing two assault charges. The jury heard that the second man was extremely intoxicated at the time, and just a few hours after the incident, he told a different EPS officer that he had no memory of anything that happened. He wasn't called as a witness in the trial. Doduk said as he grabbed that man's arm to handcuff him, some combination his intoxication and the fresh, slippery snow on the ground made him fall down. At that point, Doduk said LaFrance came "extremely close" and started telling him there might be a mistake, and it could be the wrong guy. "I made a motion as if to push him away or shoo him away while telling him, 'Step back, back off,'" Doduk said. The officer said instead of complying, LaFrance came and pushed his shoulder twice. That, Doduk said, added up to reasonable grounds to arrest him for assaulting a police officer and obstruction. Officer describes physical struggle LaFrance testified Doduk didn't say anything before he began hitting him, which the officer denied, telling the jury he followed the police practice of informing LaFrance he was under arrest, then reaching out to take his arm to make it clear he wasn't allowed to leave. But Doduk told the court that LaFrance pulled his arm away, and as the two struggled back and forth, LaFrance hit him. "I noted he was aggressive and angry and frustrated. … Now it seems that hostility has been turned and directed at me," Doduk said. The officer said he repeatedly tried and failed to get LaFrance's arms behind his back, and he hit him with an open hand, then a fist, and finally his knees as LaFrance grabbed his duty belt. The struggle continued, Doduk said, with LaFrance grabbing hold of his jacket sleeve. "I had, amid the chaos, a moment of dread feeling, because Mr. LaFrance has now taken control of my right hand, my dominant hand," Doduk said. The officer said he then moved to using his baton, hitting LaFrance five times, then three more after he fell backwards, with Doduk saying he was telling LaFrance to stay down, but he still wasn't complying. "Throughout this, he's just saying, 'f--k you,'" Doduk said. "Mr. LaFrance was feeling contempt toward me — that's what I believed. The manner in which he spoke, the look on his face, it was anger, aggression, contempt." During LaFrance's testimony, he denied that he ever hit Doduk or acted aggressively. The jury heard that he has no memory of what happened once Doduk started striking him.
CBC
10-06-2025
- CBC
Edmonton police officer charged denies 'gratuitous' force during arrest
Social Sharing Jurors will soon be asked to weigh the conflicting narratives presented in court about an arrest where an Edmonton police officer is accused of excessive force. Const. Alexander Doduk is charged with assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm against Justin LaFrance, a man he encountered on the morning of Nov. 26, 2019, just outside the courthouse where he's now on trial. The officer has pleaded not guilty to both charges. The jury heard closing arguments in the case on Monday, and they're expected to begin deliberations after getting final instructions on Tuesday from Court of King's Bench Justice Lisa Silver. Video of the incident played in court shows Doduk punch LaFrance, then hit him with a police baton eight times, leaving him with bruises, a chipped tooth and a broken nose. LaFrance was among the first witnesses to give evidence. He said he was pursuing a man he suspected of breaking a window at his work site in the former Downtown Farmers' Market building, and he waved to Doduk in his marked police vehicle for help — only to watch the officer suddenly take the man to the ground. According to LaFrance, while he was trying to tell Doduk that what he was doing was "excessive" and he might have the wrong guy, Doduk turned on him without warning. Doduk took the witness stand in his own defence last week with a different version of what happened, telling the jury LaFrance interfered as he was trying to finish an arrest, and then hit him. According to the officer, he had to use force to get control of LaFrance as he resisted being arrested, grabbed onto Doduk's duty belt near police-issued weapons including his gun, and held onto the right sleeve of his jacket despite commands to let go. Defence lawyer Dino Bottos asked Doduk on Thursday whether he felt that he did "anything gratuitous" to LaFrance. "No, not at all," Doduk answered. Jury hears officer's account The morning of the arrest, Doduk was on his way to a traffic court appearance as a police witness. Just after 8:30 a.m., Doduk said he was in his marked police vehicle at the intersection of 103A Avenue and 97th Street when he noticed someone screaming — he later learned it was LaFrance. "I heard, 'You broke my window, you piece of shit. I'm going to kill you,'" Doduk testified. He said he tried to ask LaFrance what happened, but LaFrance ran across traffic to approach another man across the street, near the Royal Alberta Museum. Believing the men were "imminently" going to fight, Doduk made a call on his police radio asking for more officers at the scene. As he approached the pair, Doduk said LaFrance was still yelling that the man broke a window, so he began to arrest him for mischief. WATCH | Video of arrest played in court: Video of 2019 arrest played in court at EPS officer's assault trial 7 days ago Duration 1:40 The jury heard that the second man was extremely intoxicated at the time, and just a few hours after the incident, he told a different EPS officer that he had no memory of anything that happened. He wasn't called as a witness in the trial. Doduk said as he grabbed that man's arm to handcuff him, some combination his intoxication and the fresh, slippery snow on the ground made him fall down. At that point, Doduk said LaFrance came "extremely close" and started telling him there might be a mistake, and it could be the wrong guy. "I made a motion as if to push him away or shoo him away while telling him, 'Step back, back off,'" Doduk said. The officer said instead of complying, LaFrance came and pushed his shoulder twice. That, Doduk said, added up to reasonable grounds to arrest him for assaulting a police officer and obstruction. Officer describes physical struggle LaFrance testified Doduk didn't say anything before he began hitting him, which the officer denied, telling the jury he followed the police practice of informing LaFrance he was under arrest, then reaching out to take his arm to make it clear he wasn't allowed to leave. But Doduk told the court that LaFrance pulled his arm away, and as the two struggled back and forth, LaFrance hit him. "I noted he was aggressive and angry and frustrated. … Now it seems that hostility has been turned and directed at me," Doduk said. The officer said he repeatedly tried and failed to get LaFrance's arms behind his back, and he hit him with an open hand, then a fist, and finally his knees as LaFrance grabbed his duty belt. The struggle continued, Doduk said, with LaFrance grabbing hold of his jacket sleeve. "I had, amid the chaos, a moment of dread feeling, because Mr. LaFrance has now taken control of my right hand, my dominant hand," Doduk said. The officer said he then moved to using his baton, hitting LaFrance five times, then three more after he fell backwards, with Doduk saying he was telling LaFrance to stay down, but he still wasn't complying. "Throughout this, he's just saying, 'f--k you,'" Doduk said. "Mr. LaFrance was feeling contempt toward me — that's what I believed. The manner in which he spoke, the look on his face, it was anger, aggression, contempt." During LaFrance's testimony, he denied that he ever hit Doduk or acted aggressively. The jury heard that he has no memory of what happened once Doduk started striking him.
CNN
06-06-2025
- General
- CNN
Officer who used excessive force allowed to plead guilty to misdemeanor after felony conviction
A Los Angeles sheriff's deputy will serve four months in prison on a misdemeanor conviction for using excessive force after the new Trump-appointed US attorney offered an unusual plea deal despite a jury convicting him of a felony. The victim's attorney asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the felony conviction, but the court declined to do so on Thursday. Deputy Trevor Kirk was recorded tackling and pepper-spraying an older woman while she filmed a man being handcuffed outside a supermarket in June 2023. A federal jury in February found Kirk guilty of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law, a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Felony convictions also prevent law enforcement officials from continuing to serve or owning a gun. But when US Attorney Bill Essayli took office a few months later, federal prosecutors offered Kirk a plea deal — a dismissal of the felony if Kirk pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, and a recommendation of one year of probation. A judge agreed to the lessened charge but sentenced Kirk to four months in prison on Monday. Essayli said in a video posted online that prosecutors also offered Kirk a misdemeanor plea agreement under the prior administration, which he turned down. 'After reviewing this case extensively and thoroughly and carefully reviewing the facts and the law, I made the decision to re-extend the misdemeanor plea agreement to Deputy Kirk,' Essayli said. In court filings signed off by Essayli, prosecutors wrote they believed that Kirk's actions fell on the lower end of the excessive force spectrum, the woman did not suffer 'serious bodily injury,' and that the case was prosecuted improperly. Some former prosecutors and police conviction experts called the step highly unusual, especially without any indication of prosecutorial misconduct, ethical violations or new evidence in the case. It follows President Donald Trump's vow to 'protect and defend' law enforcement officers from prosecution and his efforts to assert greater control over the US Justice Department. 'It's very unusual to offer a plea deal after a conviction,' said Jeffrey Bellin, a former federal prosecutor from Washington, D.C., who is now a law professor at William and Mary Law School. In cases where it could happen, there's usually new evidence of innocence, 'not just the same evidence from a different perspective,' he said. Kirk's attorney, Tom Yu, said they filed a motion for acquittal that was denied but planned to appeal the decision. Caree Harper, who represents the woman Kirk injured, said in court filings that the federal government changed its account of the incident to make Kirk's actions seem justified. In the original indictment, prosecutors wrote Kirk 'violently' threw the woman to the ground. In the new plea agreement, the government alleged the woman 'swatted' at Kirk and 'resisted,' Harper wrote, which she said was not proven in the criminal trial nor testified to in civil litigation. She said her client did not commit a crime, had no weapon, and did not try to flee or resist. She suffered from a black eye, a fractured bone in her right wrist, multiple bruises, scratches and significant chemical burning from the pepper-spray. Harper said the plea agreement sent a 'dangerous message' that law enforcement officials could be convicted of a felony and still 'cut a backroom deal after the trial.' Philip Stinson, a former police officer and attorney who studies police misconduct, said the plea deal offered to Kirk was 'seemingly without precedent' in federal court cases prosecuting police officers for their on-duty crimes, according to his search of an internal database of more than 24,000 arrest cases in the last 20 years involving sworn law enforcement officers. LA County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida said Kirk will remain employed with the agency but relieved from duty while it conducts an internal investigation to determine if any policy or procedures were violated. Kirk's case is the latest showing the Trump administration's plan to take a lighter hand in the federal government's traditional role in prosecuting police misconduct. Trump's April executive order on policing promised the 'unleashing' of law enforcement and support for their legal defense. The Justice Department announced in May it was canceling proposed consent decrees reached with Minneapolis and Louisville to implement policing reforms in the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The department also announced it would retract its findings in six other sweeping investigations into police departments that the Biden administration had accused of civil rights violations. Trump-appointed federal judges have also played a hand in dismissing cases against police officers, including murder charges against a former Atlanta police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man hiding in a closet in 2019. Experts say the reliance on the federal government to perform this policing oversight comes from the close relationship between local prosecutors and police officers, who regularly work together to investigate crimes. 'We are often looking at the federal government to serve as a check and balance for local law enforcement officials who are accused of really egregious activity toward the public,' said Devin Hart, a spokesperson for the National Police Accountability Project. All four members of the original prosecutors withdrew from the case after the new plea deal was presented, and at least one resigned from the office, according to court filings. Two others took the buyout offered to federal employees, spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy confirmed.
